In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.
She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.
In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez performed her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real. In January 2021, Baez received a 2020 Kennedy Center Honor.
Outside the Nashville City Limits
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Outside the Nashville city limits
A friend and I did drive,
On a day in early winter
I was glad to be alive.
We went to see some friends of his
Who lived upon a farm.
Who would wish nobody harm.
Fresh-cut sixty acres,
Eight cows in the barn.
But the thing that I remember
On that cold day in December
Was that my eyes they did brim over
As we talked.
In the slowest drawl I had ever heard
The man said "Come with me
If y'all wanna see the prettiest place
In all of Tennesee."
He poured us each a glass of wine
And a-walking we did go,
Along fallen leaves and crackling ice
Where a tiny brook did flow.
He knew every inch of the land
And Lord he loved it so.
But the thing that I remember
On that cold day in December
Was that my eyes were brimming over
As we walked.
He set my down upon a stone
Beside a running spring.
He talked in a voice so soft and clear
Like the waters I heard sing.
He said "We searched quite a time
For a place to call our own.
There was just me and Mary John
And now I guess we're home."
I looked at the ground and wondered
How many years they each had roamed.
And Lord I do remember
On that day in late December
How my eyes kept brimming over
As we talked.
As we walked.
And standing there with outstretched arms
He said to me "You know,
I can't wait till the heavy storms
Cover the ground with snow,
And there on the pond the watercress
Is all that don't turn white.
When the sun is high you squint your eyes
And look at the hills so bright."
And nodding his head my friend said,
"And it seems like overnight
That the leaves come out so tender
At the turning of the winter..."
I thought the skies they would brim over
As we talked.
© 1970, 1971 Chandos Music (ASCAP)
Joan Baez's "Outside The Nashville City Limits" tells the story of a visit to a farm outside the city. The song describes the beauty of the farm, the friendliness of the country folk, and the peacefulness of the surroundings. The singer and the farm owner take a walk around the property, discussing how the land has been cared for and how the seasons change in Tennessee. The gentle voice of the farmer, combined with the beauty of the farm, causes the singer's eyes to brim over with tears.
Baez's lyrics focus on the contrast between the city and the countryside, but also highlight the beauty of nature and the importance of staying connected to the land. The song encourages the listener to appreciate the natural world around them and to take a moment to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. "Outside The Nashville City Limits" is a beautiful tribute to the beauty of rural Tennessee and the importance of caring for the land.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the Nashville city limits
My friend and I went for a drive outside the city of Nashville
A friend and I did drive,
I went for a drive with a friend
On a day in early winter
It was a winter day
I was glad to be alive.
I felt grateful for being alive
We went to see some friends of his
We visited his friends
Who lived upon a farm.
Those friends lived on a farm
Strange and gentle country folk
These country folk were kind but unusual
Who would wish nobody harm.
They weren't harmful people
Fresh-cut sixty acres,
They had recently cut and cleared 60 acres of land
Eight cows in the barn.
They had 8 cows in the barn
But the thing that I remember
The most memorable thing was
On that cold day in December
On that particular day in December
Was that my eyes they did brim over
I was emotional and my eyes filled with tears
As we talked.
While we were talking
In the slowest drawl I had ever heard
The man spoke in a very slow and drawn out manner
The man said "Come with me
The man invited us to come with him
If y'all wanna see the prettiest place
If we wanted to see the most beautiful spot
In all of Tennesee."
In Tennessee
He poured us each a glass of wine
He gave us some wine to drink
And a-walking we did go,
We went for a walk
Along fallen leaves and crackling ice
We walked on leaves and ice that made a crackling sound
Where a tiny brook did flow.
We walked near a small stream
He knew every inch of the land
He was very familiar with the area
And Lord he loved it so.
He was passionate about it
He set my down upon a stone
He guided me to sit on a rock
Beside a running spring.
Next to a flowing stream
He talked in a voice so soft and clear
He spoke in a gentle and clear tone
Like the waters I heard sing.
Like the sound of the flowing water
He said "We searched quite a time
He mentioned that they had looked for a long time
For a place to call our own.
For a piece of land they could own
There was just me and Mary John
Only he and Mary John were there
And now I guess we're home."
And he considers that place to be their home
I looked at the ground and wondered
I stared at the ground and pondered
How many years they each had roamed.
How long they had been wandering or traveling
And Lord I do remember
I recall that
On that day in late December
On that specific day in December
How my eyes kept brimming over
I continued to shed tears and got emotional
As we talked.
While we were talking
And standing there with outstretched arms
He stood with his arms wide open
He said to me "You know,
He said to me
I can't wait till the heavy storms
He was eager for the big storms
Cover the ground with snow,
To see the snow-covered ground
And there on the pond the watercress
He wanted to see watercress
Is all that don't turn white.
Because it doesn't turn white in the snow
When the sun is high you squint your eyes
When the sun is high, you cannot look directly into the sun
And look at the hills so bright."
And the hills appear bright and beautiful
And nodding his head my friend said,
My friend nodded in agreement and added
"And it seems like overnight
It feels like it happens quickly
That the leaves come out so tender
When the leaves grow back, they are soft and delicate
At the turning of the winter..."
At the beginning of winter
I thought the skies they would brim over
I felt like I would cry even more
As we talked.
While we were talking
© 1970, 1971 Chandos Music (ASCAP)
Copyright information
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOAN BAEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
on The Rose
Joan Baez , my Fairest Hope my Love who signed into our Way
We are unite
We will not fall without our Foreverlasting
Love
In Failing Light
You See in myselfve your Love your Lesbian Wifve
You share your Lightful and your Darkest
side
In Which our Embraces
Our Words
Our Visions
Will rejoice
I see the Sunlight of a setting
Evening
Rise into Grace each Coming Morning
The amours we live is our Love
The mourns we felt
Do not impact
The do not seperate us My Joan C Baez You and I
The scared moments
We leave behind
We’ll belong twogather twogether
And three times we will cross
The Distance of an ocean between us
And then we ‘ll stay twogather in Your Home your place
Is given here and there
Is given home in our hearts and Soul
Our minds and bodies Longing Love
We are whole
The scars we carry
Did not made us blind
we will feel every emotion
As our Lifvelong foreverlasting Love
We share a secret
In which we Both have
Signed we are in Soul in heart in Bodies Longing and fulfillment in Mind now and
Eternally Unite
DeineKatharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
Und selbst wenn
alle Dunkelheit
Der Nächte
In den Tagen läge
Und selbst Erwachen
Schwer
ich fände doch
Zu Dir
Es führen Wege
Selbst wenn
kein Ausweg
durch die Tür
We burnt Each Other
everlastingly
Our Sign
Of truest Love that
Overcomes
The loneliness
And wildest
cry
When we embrace
and kiss our
Wounds
The Smile remaining
When we caress us
Will be
What lets us
deeply , sad
and of most
tenderness
Acknowledging
and
In our Minds
Forever
Found and
Not to destroyed
And we will
Feel that
We are Unite
The Ring i had lost
I‘ve found again
It’s prayer and Your Love
You Sent
A Turquoise of Arizonas Depth
Your heart in myne
And at The Turquoise
Coast beneath your Hill
We‘ll make Love
We‘ll follow our destined
And guiding
Will
Ich bin Dein Du Mein
MyLady JoanC BAez, My JoanChandosBaez, JoanBaez my Dove
Love And Wife
Katharine~~ C.~~ Y Baez KAtharinA Scharlowski InAO~•~Love~•~s the Answer~ I Love You, Joan and as Light begins to fail You reappear in my Body Heart and Soul my Mind to stayDeine KAtharinA KAtharine ich liebe Dich Forever!Joan C BAez
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
For a moment
in a Night Times Blessing
I left You in my Loves Embrace
as like a Flower
~ a Rose ~
and Purity her name
in darkness,
that was to bloom
in Heaven’s place.
as for the Love
in me
was not Disgraced,
A Lasting Kiss ,
A smile
a Light
A heart
that burns
throughly Memories
Forever Living
As Nighttime fell
As Nighttime falls
I‘ came, l’ll come and be
The One You‘ll see
The Love you feel
Just like a wild dog
Runs
Through Bushes
Of fences
And calamities
I passed my way to You
Through even
Greatest adversarities
The Rose of Sharon
Schmückt meinen Mund
~trotz Ausgebissen Zähne
In des Lebens Leid~
Wir Küssen uns
in purest Love
That went through
To and fro
And come and go
And I came back to You
Forever and Forevermore
Für JoanC. BAez von KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski KAtharinA Ino
Katharine c; Y Baez
on The Rose
If a Love is felt as failing it is but Love the helps her Rise, it is a the moments quiet whispering : As i was torn you were by my side, in your Love i see my true and darkeyed Light, there it is Forever Joan Chandos Baez Katharine C; Y Baez Katharina sc harlowski
kATHARINE C. YBAEZ I
on The Rose
AS ON tHE WHITE hORSE MY HAND WAS GIVEN IN THE NOON TO yOU TODAY AS I ASKED YOU FOR YOURS ,WAS THAN WHEN EVERY MOON HAD TRIED TO fAIL AND hONEYMOON WAS THE ONLY LIGHT IN WHICH MY wORDS WERE LAID. iT WAS THE fAILURE ON THE iNTERNET AND NON BUT SCRIPTURE cOULD AND A LOVING HEART COULD STAY THE WIDE
iN THIS dARK MOMENT OF THE pRESENTS SIMPLE SIDE , THE fAIR cARD OF yOUR STALION wHITE THE wHITE hORSE IN tHE bLOSSOM OF THE mAY dAYS tIDE, I SENT TO YOUR wOODEN hILLS TO YOUR UNVENTURED sIDE, mY WRITTEN wORD : wILL yOU PLEASE mARRY ME MY bRIDE? i'LL STAY FOREVER BY YOUR sIDE FROM tHAN oN, sO gOODBYE IN OUR gOOD NiGHT, mY loVE jOAN C. bAEZ, yOUR KATHARINE C. Y BAEZ kATHARINA SCHARLOWSKI 21. MAY 2022
KatharineC. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski
on The Rose
Thank You dearloved Joan C.Baez, you accorded me the answer in an unknown Light, through all darkness not alone as there was Love for you in me,- as in thought, in words a visioned melodie - that is not gone - far beyond the borders shores and the oceans sea, doves Flight as is Loves they fly By two By Four By Three, i send Goodbye to them I send GoodBye - and hope it once will be - I sent GoodBye my Joan C Baez stay You'll never fail in my Heart There is your place to be i send Goodbye my Love to Thee , Joan Chandos Baez, Katharine C. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski It is for You that i was meant to feel was meant to be.
Katharine C. Y Baez, K.S.
on Wings
I 'll stay with you cause I think it's time to say Thank you for having stayed with me in my Time of Need. I love You Joan (KC) CHandos Baez, Your Katharine C. Y Baez name of Love and Hope and American Native Indian Marriage, born Katharina Scharlowski , A little Rain is a gonna come, And I am at Home when I cry, but I learned to be at home in your Love too, As we stay in The Hearts of The One Loves we are. Deine Katharine